Pumpkin & Cardamom Cinnamon Rolls

Vietnamese Coffee Buns

If you're like me, the name of these cinnamon rolls is what lured you in. I am totally in love with Vietnamese Iced Coffee as you can clearly see by this humble blog's recipe selection (Vietnamese Iced Coffee Cupcakes, Vietnamese Coffee Eclairs, and Vietnamese Coffee Sundaes). It's a drink that I can relate to - the anger of the coffee paired with the sweetness of the condensed milk. One part sugar, one part spice.

Holiday Spiced Cinna-Buns

These little darlings were a bit of a surprise. I made them in celebration of the birth of a dear friend's second son. Fresh cinnamon rolls are always amazing so I made the rolls the night before to let them sit in the fridge overnight. I got a late start so you can image my shock when I realized I was missing a key ingredient for CINNAbun.

Cinnamon.

Quick and Dirty Chocolate Espresso Cinnamon Rolls

Whenever there is a short-cut recipe for bread, I am very skeptical. It's like one of those old timey grifter scams. The recipe proclaims amazing results and tantalizes you with tempting photos. An accomplice comments on the wonder of the bread to provoke enthusiasm. Then, just like a grifter, it leaves you with half-baked results and you realize that you have been cheated. I've made "quick and dirty" cinnamon rolls in the past and was burnt. Within the hour, they had turned into hockey pucks that could break a window.

For these reasons, I make it a rule not to use quick yeast breads and unreliable sources. It may be limiting, but I am often reluctant to step away from my go-to books and bloggers (all hail Smitten Kitchen and America's Test Kitchen). That's how I knew that I was in safe hands when I saw these Quick and Dirty Chocolate Espresso Cinnamon Rolls from Joy the Baker. I decided not to live in the past (insert Buddhist "Om") and give these kids another shot.

Oh Joy, you never lead me astray!

What makes them "quick and dirty?" The rising time. Generally speaking, cinnamon rolls need two round of rising, each at least an hour. These are done in half that time with only ten minutes to rise the first round and then an additional 30. By the time you're done cleaning up the kitchen, they're ready to go in the oven. What black magic is this?

Sure. Chocolate and Espresso are an overpowering combination of delicious. You could slather the two on a brick and I would probably still try to eat it... well at least lick of what I could. It goes without saying that the filling of this cinnamon roll is delicious. I used extra dark chocolate chips and added just a touch more espresso. The dry mix alone had the entire kitchen smelling lovely.

The real test was going to be how the rolls stood the test of time.
Would they be soft and luscious?
Or would I be able to skip them over a lake?

These cinnamon buns could be used as a pillow up to three days out of the oven. That's right- THREE whole days (per storage in an air-tight container). They pulled apart smoothly and warmed in the oven beautifully the next day. Served with a cup of a coffee, these chocolate espresso cinnamon buns had the husband and I on cloud 9.



What I really love about this recipe is the quantity. Most rolls make two pans worth of bread - way too much for our simple home and too heavy to serve as a side at brunch with friends. This is makes six large buns in a 8x8 pan - a solid amount for two over the weekend and enough to share with others on a Saturday night.

The glaze is optional - we didn't feel it was necessary! Yes, that's how good they are - they don't need glaze. The filling is sweet enough as it is.

PS. Mike is over here cracking up because I used the word "grifter" in this post. Apparently this makes me a literary nerd. 

The recipe for these awesome Quick and Dirty Chocolate Espresso Cinnamon Rolls can be found on Joy The Baker!

Peach Cobbler Cinnamon Buns

Alas, the peach season is coming to a close in Northern Virginia. I did my best to capitalize on these naturally sweet and juicy flavors bombs while they were at their peak but never found the time to go fruit picking. Fortunately, I was able to swipe a few at the local farmer's market. There were a handful of recipes floating in my head and at the top of the list was Peach Cobbler Cinnamon Buns. 

Never would have I thought to add peaches to cinnamon buns; this yet again illustrates why cinnamon buns are so freaking awesome. Their versatility will never cease to amaze me nor will the creative cooks that share their innovative recipes. These buns are brought to you by the ever charming, Joy the Baker. 

In terms of flavor, these cinnamon rolls will make you swoon. I was actually giddy on the first bite because I had no expectations. These are good. Like... really really good. The hubby says that they live up to their name but I would disagree. When I think of a cobbler, there's an element of texture that cannot be replicated in a yeast-based dough. In my opinion, these were more closely related to a danish because the bread is beautifully soft. There is a crumble inside but its loses some of its consistency when baking. Butter tends to do that when exposed to heat. 

Two fair warnings:

First, the rolling of the dough into that trademark cinnamon roll log. If I were a weaker person, I would have walked away. It was a freaking gooey mess that oozed and dripped all over the counter. Steel your nerves and get through it with a sturdy, serrated knife (wow that sounds kinda bad). As I placed the rolls into the pan, I feared that they would unravel but the pressure of the other surrounding buns help keep it all together. It doesn't really matter how they look- just get 'em in the pan and the flavor will be there!

Second, it goes without saying, be super careful not to burn the yeast. The ingredients are mixed in a large sauce pan (or dutch-oven) over a medium heat until they're gently warmed and left to cool to 105 degrees F. The flour is added directly to the sauce pan and left to rise in a warm place for 1 hour. No need to mix with a dough hook for 8 minutes- walk away. As many time as I have made cinnamon buns, the first batch did not rise and I was bummed. That's four cups of flour that I'm not getting back! I knew the culprit had to be the milk and was diligent the second round. If you don't have a thermometer, I cannot emphasize what a life saver it is in the kitchen. 

Peaches. Almonds. Oats. Brown sugar. You can't lose! We really enjoyed these rolls and I would recommend them to any peach lover! 

 
For the recipe, check out the Peach Cobbler Cinnamon Rolls post on Joy the Baker!

Easy, Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

This past winter, Northern Virginia was hit with a couple of snow storms. I love working from home when the ground is covered in a blanket of white. It's soothing and gives the day a more organic pace. If there's a moment of calm, I can spend some quality time with Autumn, run a load of laundry, or become fixated on a recipe. 

Case in point... these vegan cinnamon rolls.

The lure of cinnamon rolls with only one hour of rising threw my brain for a loop. What devil trickery is this? That's at least half of the time of a regular cinnamon bun! That means they can be in my tummy in half the time! It's simply not possible. 

And, to a degree, I was right.

Fresh out of the oven, they are exactly how they should be; fluffy, light, and irresistible. The ingredient list is short and to the point (yeast, almond milk, flour, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and butter). They can be topped with the frosting of your choice. I stuck with a glaze of pure honey to keep things simple and light. Mike was ecstatic and tore in immediately.

One hour later, I kid you not, they were already getting hard. We're talking smack them with a knife and there was a thud sound kind of hard. In an earnest effort to hold onto that magic, I popped them into the microwave but they were a pale glimmer of their former beauty. Sigh. Give them a try and let me know if you had the same results. 

Make these cinnamon rolls when you have a few friends or family on deck to help destroy all nine cinnamon rolls in one fresh-out-of-the-oven blissful sitting. The recipe is from the Minimalist Baker's Easy Cinnamon Rolls. This site is filled with lovely goodies so check it out!

Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls

It is a fact of life that I am obsessed with making anything that resembles a cinnamon bun. All kitchen endeavors have their unique challenges but there's an exciting satisfaction in making a yeast based bread. Many mix-ups can be salvaged or masked thanks to a touch of spice or an awesome frosting. Not here.... no amount of cream cheese will hide a bad bread. It's merciless.

This, in turns, makes the task of cinnamon buns, pull-apart breads, and dinner rolls an emotional roller-coaster. If that d@mn dough doesn't rise- you just wasted a good hour and half of your life as well as precious resources. Rise bread, rise!!







Needless to say, when I stumbled upon a snippet about using potatoes in dough, I nearly fell out of my chair. Potatoes? Come on now. Is this some over zealous experiment led by a Leprechaun? As it turns out, the beauty of using potatoes is they add starch without the gluten. There's science involved.

I gave it a shot and was astounded by the results. This recipe yielded the biggest freaking cinnamon buns I have ever seen. Maybe I rolled it wrong but the husband and I were very excited to have monster cinnamon buns in the house. They rose beautifully and took over our counters. Everything smelt of cinnamon and heaven. Sinful sinnabuns.



So the big question remains: can you taste potato? Not at all. Think of it as eating dutch potato rolls- simply soft. The texture of this bread is the show stopper. Days after baking, the dough remained surprisingly soft without the need to be heated in the microwave. They were stuck being awesome- it's in their nature. Use the frosting of your choosing- a splash of coffee or a hint of lemon zest really defines the flavor. These are adorned with some toasted pecans to add dimension to the pillowy bread.

Now there are two itty bitty items that I would like to mention as a warning:



First, I attempted to halve the recipe because let's face it... hubby has a great appetite but he's not a bottomless pit. It's impossible to punish this much cinnamon bun without calling in the troops to share. Halving was a mistake because the rolls didn't come out nearly as good. Maybe you'll have better luck, but I totally bombed it.

Second, the filling seemed to be a bit skimpy in terms of the amount of sugar/cinnamon. I tried doubling it and the bottom of buns ended up super sticky and slightly burnt from the butter melting and the sugar caramelizing. It was a total mess and ruined the rolls. Bad idea. Stick to the directions!

For the recipe, check out Bon Appetit's post: Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls.

America's Test Kitchen Cinnamon Buns

I'm not going to play coy... this is another post about Cinnamon Buns. Surprise? The saga continues as I hunt for my favorite rendition! I wanted to make these for Mike's parents as a teensy show of thanks for their continuous wedding planning support.  When I asked him what I should make- I already knew the answer. One of Mike's fondest memories is his mom bringing home Cinnabuns from the airport after a business trip. He and his pops would fight to claim the heavenly smelling white and blue box. All right cinny buns, time to pull out the big guns: American's Test Kitchen.

Before I delve into describing the rolls, I have to give a warning. I ended up making these rolls TWICE. I made the dough the night before, let it rise, formed the rolls, and let them sit in the fridge over night. The intent was to save time in the  morning and have oven fresh cinnamon buns ready to go!

The issue arose the next day when the rolls refused to reach room temperature. The directions states "let sit at room temperature for about an hour." Well they sat there for 2 hours and still did not rise fully. I touched the pan and it was still chilled. In retrospect, I should have heated the oven a bit and let them rise in there like I usually do when making rolls. Being a shmuck, I put them in the oven anyways (not fully risen) and hoped for the best.

Well. As we say in Portuguese, toma! The result was a stiff and tough cinnamon bun. The flavor was still there at least! We cheated and zapped them in the microwave for a few seconds to lighten them up before serving. It was frustrating but hey- I KNEW the rolls had not doubled in size the second time. Learn from my mistakes! So make sure the bread has fully risen! If it hasn't, either your yeast has gone bad or there's not enough heat. 

And yet... that left the lingering question... what was their real potential? You know... sans screwing up and being impatient. 

The next day, the ever stubborn self went at it again- this time sticking around for the entire process. I am happy to report a delicious cinnamon bun! The rolls were tight and bread had a soft but solid texture. Honestly, we were content without the frosting! They were slowly addicting. You thought after the initial bite, "oh well that's nice." Then suddenly you realized half the pan was missing. Woopsy!

I did make two teensy itty bitty adjustments to the second rolls. I nearly doubled the amount of filling (go hard or go home) and added a bit of lemon zest to the cream cheese frosting. Trust, that touch of zest makes a big difference.

For the full recipe, check out the America's Test Kitchen Feed!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns

Ah yes... my most guilty baking pleasures of them all: cinnamon buns. I can't put my finger on why I love working with sweet doughs so much. Granted, working with yeast is time-consuming. The end result, however is more rewarding.  There's a sense of accomplishment when you peak in and the dough has doubled inside. Plus, the flavor geared more towards my palette. I would take a cinnamon bun over a slice of cake any day.

Today's guest visited our kitchen for only a brief while. Introducing, Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns by Good Life Eats!  They made their entrance quietly in the night and were gone in such haste, the frosting never left the bowl! Yes yes yes... the "quest" for the perfect Pumpkin Cinnamon continues! Having any left over pumpkin in the house is dangerous because it always ends up in some flour!

This version of Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns did not disappoint. I would have to try them back to back with the Amish Girl's version to assess whose cuisine reigns supreme. Delicious fall flavor- check! Beautiful rolls- check! Soft texture- check! Truth be told, I prefer my filling to have a higher brown sugar than granulated sugar which is an easy enough adjustment. 

As for the cream cheese topping, it was used more as a dip because we were too busy eating the fresh rolls to pour it on! I do love, however, when cream cheese frosting calls for a little bit of lemon juice; it balances the sweetness and adds a hint of something special. As you can see above, our sad attempts to slather it on after the buns had cooled. 

There was one tiny detail about this recipe that had me cussing. In addition to using all purpose flour, this recipe requires whole wheat pastry flour. I didn't have this ingredient on hand and overlooked it on the ingredients list. Why whole wheat pastry flour? It has a finer texture then regular whole wheat flour. You don't want grainy bread. Plus, it helps to yield a softer dough. You could probably substitute with straight all-purpose flour, but I do love the earthy flavor of whole wheat. 

For the full recipe, check out Good Life Eats!

Pumpkin Pie with a Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust

Happy Post Thanksgiving! I hope you had a relaxing and cozy weekend, filled with good food and better company. We were definitely on the move in our household.  Thanksgiving lunch was spent with my side and dinner with his. I'm grateful that our parentals live only 25 minutes apart!

The food was the traditional meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, veggies, and (my all time favorite) stuffing. The older I get, the more I realize that turkey really isn't as magical as I remember from childhood.  Funny how nostalgia makes things taste better.  The giant bird is very hard to do well; plus my family keeps trying that turducken stuff which has been unimpressive. I think you need to be a true Carnivore to appreciate the art of turducken.

Usually, my mom doesn't want me to cook anything on holidays. Strange, right? Her philosophy is the less I do, the more I can relax. It's a bit of a catch 22. The kitchen is one of my favorite ways to relax. The stress sets in when I feel the pressure to be perfect. The only person creating this pressure is myself because food is a form of expression. For me, it's a tiny way to show my love. 

Hence why 6 hours were shot creating dinner rolls for Mike's family. *puts head on desk* See what happened was... a friend showed up on our front door unexpected the night before Thanksgiving. The dinner rolls were done shortly before they departed and they had come out perfect! In the midst of parting, I totally forgot that the dinner rolls were still resting in the oven. It was time to make the pumpkin pie, so I preheated the oven and... well... at about 400 degrees I smelt something toasting. Destroyed. 

Defeat?

Never.

Back at it. Measure, mix, knead, and rise for another hour. After forming the rolls, I slipped the unrisen dough into the freezer for Thanksgiving. The next day, chaos in my mother's kitchen overtook the poor dinner rolls. There was a battle between my tia's sweet potatos and my beloved rolls over oven space... and she won. Every time I turned around, she had slipped her tray of potatoes back in the oven, directly above the rolls. They never stood a chance.

Needless to say, this Thanksgiving, there was no Sprite in my red wine. Salude! Please feel free to share your favorite holiday kitchen disasters! It's all goodie though. The Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake, specially made for my brother, came out fantastic. This year, I decided to try something a little different with the Pumpkin Pie.

The filling of the pie is from America's Test Kitchen. The spices are standard issue for a pumpkin pie. The technique is the key! You warm the pumpkin puree over the stove to deepen the flavor and then pour it directly into a half baked pie crust straight from the oven. Everything has to be hot and timed! This will prevent the pumpkin from dampening the crust. Pretty slick, no?

The other exciting aspect of this year's pie was the Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust. Yah trust me- when my girlfriend shared this concept with me, I nearly threw a chair. For your viewing ease, I flipped once slice of pie to show off it's pretty under belly. All you need is some pre-made pie crust, a little butter, and some cinnamon. Check out Taste for Adventure's post for a detailed break down of the process.

Note: when you smooth the rolls into the bottom of the pie dish- make sure they're nice and thin. Mine were a little too chubby still and made for a thicker then desired pie crust. It should cover the entire pie dish.

The baking time of the crust and the filling magically aligned. The crust needs 25 minutes to pre-bake and a total cooking time of 40 minutes. How ideal! America's Test Kitchen's Best Pumpkin Pie recipe (not the one with the yams) needs 15 minutes to bake and requires a hot, pre-baked crust! So all you have to do is bake the crust (at whatever heat it requires) for 25 minutes, then you add the warmed pumpkin pie filling and continue to bake for another 15 minutes at the filling's required temperature.

If you're feeling extra frisky, top with home-made whipped cream with a touch of rum or bourbon and toasted pepitas!

Once again, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. It's quite obvious here as to what Autumn's grateful for! We both love this guy something fierce.

For the recipes, check out Taste for Adventure (crust) and America's Test Kitchen (pie filling).

Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Crusade

 

I have a slight obsession with perfecting the cinnamon bun. It's quite possibly my favorite thing to bake because it combines my childhood love for bread with that tiny sweet tooth we all try to control.  Bread + Sugar... anything other than amazing is impossible.

As the world of baking opened up, I was stunned to find all the possibilities that the cinnamon bun method holds. Who says it has to be the traditional "Cinnabun" (a treat my brother still uses to lure me into Tysons mall during the holidays)? You can use apples, raspberries, raisins, chai, and even cereal. Endless potential in a relatively easy method!

Then I saw the holy grail of cinnamon buns: pumpkin. This version is from Smitten Kitchen. Time permitting, I have a whole hit list of pumpkin cinnamon bun recipes:

• Wild Yeast:  Pumpkin Brioche Cinnamon Buns
• Good Life Eats: Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns
• Reclaiming Provincial: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Chai Buttermilk Glaze

Oh you don't know about my powerful attraction to pumpkin? Pumpkin is without a doubt that perfect fall flavor. I chug pumpkin spice lattes and chai. Pumpkin muffins are a sinful pleasure, especially with cream cheese. I even like toasted pepita seeds. Pumpkin pumpkin everything! 

Well. Almost anything. This is my second attempt at pumpkin cinnamon buns and I got to tell you... not impressed. I don't blame you pumpkin, God no. I have a sneaking suspicion that pumpkin does not work well as a yeast product. There's too much moisture and the flavor is so subtle that it can easily be overpowered by spices. Even the Panera pumpkin spice bagel doesn't do it for me... yet pumpkin squares are a win every time.

Now don't get me wrong, it's not that like these cinnamon buns are gross. They have all the classic cinnamon bun attributes- warm, cinnamon, and a gooey top. As for being a PUMPKIN cinnamon bun? We didn't taste pumpkin... something was different about the flavor and we struggled to describe it. Mike found it dense but he did like the caramelized edges. I didn't like having to rely so much on the frosting for sweetness. I prefer the Amish girl version with caramel icing. Don't worry pumpkin cinnamon rolls, we'll get there!

Have a killah pumpkin cinnamon bun recipe? Don't hold out! Please share! And if you're on the East Coast, hang in there. This storm should be mellowed out by tomorrow afternoon.  Sending love and sunshine from our townhouse basement.

Quick Cinnamon Apple Buns with Cinnamon Icing {no yeast}

It's a Monday. Send this recipe to your significant other, room mate, cohabitant, sibling, parent, dog, cat- whomever- and ask them to make you these cinnamon apple buns. You've earned it. Like I said... it's a Monday.

These cinnamon buns were a must try because there is something utterly magical about them: there is no yeast. How can you have a cinnamon bun without the YEAST? No sacrificial 2 hours of rising time in exchange for that doughy goodness? That's absurd.

As it would turn out, this is a fun cheat cheat when you want cinnamon buns and don't have the luxury of time. They have all the essentials: cinnamon, sugar, that signature roll, delicious icing, and gooey warmth. The brown sugar slightly caramelizes in the pan. 

I cannot IMAGINE these "rolls" without the honey crisp apple and pecans. They really shone through and added delicious dimension! The apples give moisture and the pecans add richness. I was a little out of control with the pecans.

When you get down to it though... they are not the traditional cinnamon bun.  As stated, they are a fun cheat-cheat which does not take away from their deliciousness. Just a little different. The "dough" is very thick because it's not going to expand. The buns can be eaten straight out of the pan because the texture is very cake like. 

Yeast or no yeast, these cinnamon buns are yummy, easy to make, quick, and comforting. They are best served the day they are made, when they are hot and gooey. Serve with ice cream if you're feeling extra naughty and nestle down like Autumn in a blanket.   

Recipe from Passionate About Baking.